Fairy High - Girls Chronicles
by suzukanachronicles
Summary: ROWE: Wendy arrives at Fairy Tail High under a student scholarship despite her only being a kid - and the popular boy from her brother school has just received the exact same scholarship. Even worse, they share Monday and Friday schedules (exactly the same! Can they overcome their rivalry or will the entire year be filled with their 12-year-old adorable rivalries?
1. Fairy Tail Gardens

Title: Fairy High Girls Chronicles

Summary: The high school years of Fairy Tail. Nalu, Gruvia, Jerza + more.. Prom, holidays, graduation. Please read!

Characters: the Fairy Hills girls: Erza, Juvia, Levy, Bisca, Wendy, Carla, Evergreen, Laki, Cana~ Mira lives with her sister Lisanna and brother, Elfman; and Lucy, who lives alone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

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**Chapter 1 - Fairy Tail**

Fairy Tail was beautiful. Its wide grounds that spread across the whole campus. Its tall brick building with dozens of windows and a high clock tower shone in the Sunday sun. But most of all, its gardens.

At least, that was how Wendy saw it. The youngest of her orphan family, she saw life as a canvas of beautiful colours. Anything fun, happy or even sad could add to it.

She was only 12 years old yet the municipal genius of her region. She qualified to be a junior at Fairy Tail High, four grades higher than a normal girl her age would've been. And today was the opening ceremony before her first classes began on Monday. Short and shy, but Wendy was confident she would once gain pass her year with flying colours.

And now she stood in front of the campus, awe struck at the giant greenery and flowers surrounding the magnificent brick building. She had never, in her full twelve years of life, seen anything like it.

She breathed in the fresh air. Beautiful.

**-o0o-**

"..Welcome back to Fairy Tail Academy!"

Cheers erupted all around the auditorium as Mirajane Strauss, the model and female personality of Fairy Tail, greeted the new and old students of the school. Wendy's eyes sparkled. I've never seen her in real life before, Wendy marvelled. She's really pretty, just like all the people say! Is she really a high school student?

"I'm glad to see all you new and familiar faces! My name is Mirajane, the student representative of Fairy Tail High in Fiore. I've been here since freshman years!" A few people whistled, and Wendy heard a booming voice yell, "That's my sister! Manly!"

Mira waved to the audience and winked. "Alumni - welcome back. I'll be glad to catch up with you! And new students and freshmen - Fairy Tail is no doubt the best high school in the region - for a reason! Be prepared for a fabulous new year, starting tomorrow! And now," she added cheerfully, "to introduce our president, the leader and third master down from our founder Mavis Vermillion - Makarov Dreyar!"

A giant, looming shadow stomped into the auditorium. The lights were blacked out; a giant shadow had cast them all out. She could barely make out the person in front of her; only the emergency lights and the blazing red EXIT signs allowed the audience to see each other and the stage.

A great silence spread across the auditorium. Wendy shivered.

"YOU LOOK OLDER, GRAMPS!"

All eyes turned to a pink-haired male student with flames in his eyes and a stupid but big grin. He was dancing up and down and the students around him - a dark haired, good-looking guy with no tie and a tall, red-haired girl - slapped him in the face. Wendy wondered how he could even see.

/_And who is Gramps?/_

"Shut up, flame brain!"

"Same to you, ice cube!"

"Shut up and listen, idiots!" The girl said, punching each in the stomach. They fell to the ground in pain.

Wendy watched as the lights slowly turned on again, the darkness disappearing and her eyes adjusting to the light. A short man with a funky hat appeared on stage. Is he really young enough to be leading the school? Already Wendy's instincts and intellect were in control of her judgement; she saw two signs that he was quite some age - one, his appearance and fashion sense - and two, the colour of his face, which proved he might be a recovering alcoholic.

"Makarov Dreyar, your school president!" The audience burst into applause.

The old man cleared his throat as Mira helpfully lowered the microphone for him.

He coughed into it. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. For those of you who are returning, welcome back." Another cough. Wendy wondered whether he was really in charge of the school or not.

"And you new kids," Makarov's eyes scanned the room, and Wendy realized with a start that though old and possibly alcoholic, his eyes were full of wisdom. She smiled.

"New kids, Fairy Tail is the best school, like Mira said; it may not have the top ranks in comparison to other schools, they may put you down, the Fiore board of education might complain about our chaos and noise, but never give up hope! As long as we are a family, there will never be something wrong with us." The whole stadium burst into cheers, and Wendy found herself joining in.

He coughed into the microphone and everybody shut up. "If you ever get into trouble, do not hesitate to bother me or others to help get you out of it. Those old geezers over at the Fiore District Board of Education are nothing but old geezers." Another cough. "What I mean is, don't get into trouble." Wild cheers came from the pink haired 'idiot' who earned another punch from the red-haired girl.

"Thank you, President," Mira took the microphone from him. "Prefects, please make your way up to the stage."

One by one, four students lined up onto the stage. Wendy stood on her toes, but could only make out four heads, two female and two male, over the shoulder of the girl in front of her.

"These are your prefects for the year, hand-picked by the Student Council and the Fairy Tail School Board for their excellent previous experience and reports."

Mira gestured to the first prefect to step forward. "Just so you all know, the Student Council selects incoming freshmen with outstanding reports to be interviewed, then picks one to be prefect for that year, although if rules are broken the prefect can change within the year. The school board has to approve before the official decision is made."

"Freshmen, listen up! This is who you'll be asking questions to and who will be counting you in each night. Fairy freshmen, please welcome Miss Talia Finch." A tall red-haired girl looked down at the crowd and waved.

The microphone was handed to her. "Hello, freshmen. Please don't hesitate to ask me questions, although I might not be able to answer them. I'm new here, too." Some people laughed and Wendy could tell she was a very friendly and open-minded girl. "Just a little background info, I come from Clover Town and my birthday is October 30, in case any of you want to give me a gift for being an awesome prefect." Someone yelled his agreement, earning multiple laughs. "I room in the freshwoman dorm hall Birch, Room 23. Just knock on the door or send me a message, contact info is on the Prefects' Blog option on your tablets."

Mira took the microphone back. "That's right, because this is a prestigious school funded by many rich sponsors that we have helped in the past, each student will be given a tablet for their work, agenda, a map of the school, and connection online. Your homeroom teachers who take attendance for you each morning will provide you with your personal tablet, as well as show you how to use them properly. Please note, misuse of the tablets will result in confiscation." Many students groaned, but many more, Wendy included, were excited at the prospect of these tablets. She was sure she would never misuse hers.

"Now sophomores. Welcome back to our second year at Fairy Tail Academy! Your prefect is a familiar face, Michael 'YOLO' Porter is prefect for the second year in a row!"

Loud applause erupted over the assembly as Michael stepped forward, donned with a great big smile. The girl in front of Wendy bounced up excitedly, squealing as he waved to the school.

Accepting the microphone from a chuckling Mira, he leaned forwards and whispered, "see you around, girls." The girl in front of Wendy fell over with delight, giving her a clear view of the next prefect.

With utter shock, she realized she had seen him before, at her old school. He was only a year older than her, with great marks and a cute face that made her friends swoon. But in reality, he was a spoiled brat. His constant presence in her friends' conversations was one of the things she had been trying to escape by joining Fairy Tail.

_/Don't tell me... No way! He got the scholarship too!?/_ Wendy gasped. /_I thought I was the only one.../_

"I'm sure many of you remember, and will miss, last year's sophomore prefect who has moved to another continent. Because of this, the Student Council put together specialized information on a new incomer, a male top grade student from Crepuscule Academy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your junior prefect, Romeo Conbolt."

The girl in front of her hopped up again. "Oh my god. He's cute!"

**-o0o-**

**Later that night**

Stars were already appearing in the sky as Wendy walked down the long avenue of palm trees, going in a semi-circle direction as to pass all four giant dorm halls in the female part of the dorms.

Wendy approached the first dorm hall slowly, scanning its front door for a brass plate that announced its name. Shaking her head when she saw it reading 'Birch', she moved on.

"Hey little girl, are you looking for your sister?" A kind looking female student approached her, and she realized it was Talia Finch, the Freshman Prefect.

"Nope." Wendy had come ready for this kind of question, expecting it ever since she accepted the scholarship. "I'm a junior."

"Another scholarship kid? Wow, congrats! How can I help you?" Wendy could see why she had been accepted as prefect; she was helpful and cheerful and all the things an example student should be.

"Do you know where Dorm Hall Willow is?"

"Oh that's easy. All the dorm halls are in order by grade, so it's the third dorm hall down. Want me to walk you there?"

"No thanks, I'm fine. Thank you!"

The doors were open wide, and Wendy could see girls passing by, some in groups or pairs and some alone. Following the instructions on her pamphlet, she lined up at the service desk where a junior member of the Student Council was answering questions. She motioned for Wendy to step up.

"I'm Emily. Welcome to Fairy Tail Girls Dorm Hall Willow! It's honestly the best, not at all hard to find your way. Are you here to sign in?"

"Sign in?" Wendy blinked, confused. "I thought the prefect was supposed to count us in."

Emily laughed. "In case you haven't seen him yet, the junior prefect is a boy this year. I'm his assistant, to count the girls in. Name please?"

"Wendy Marvell. I'm in Room... Sixteen, I think."

Emily nodded. "Gotcha down. If you're heading there right away, it's in the West Wing, you'll find your luggage already delivered there. Would you like to know who you're rooming with?"

"What?"

"I can let you know right now, if you want."

She didn't know anyone anyways. "I...I think I'll leave it as a surprise. Thanks so much!" Wendy bowed in thanks and then headed down to her room.

Laughter was already coming through the door as she approached Room Sixteen. She heard someone squeal, and then a loud thump. A musical drone echoed in the background.

She knocked. "Excuse me? I'm-"

It opened. "Ah! You must be our new arrival!"

"She's adorable~ come on in!" A second girl, taller and brunette, beckoned for her. As she walked in she spied one other girl with lavender hair and glasses propped up on her forehead sitting watching TV on a mobile smartphone.

The purple-haired girl looked up. "So you didn't get lost after all," she smiled. Wendy didn't know how to reply to this statement.

"Errmm, yeah, I had to ask the freshman prefect for some help," she said sheepishly.

She flicked her purple hair out of the way and stuck her glasses in the proper place. Wendy backed up apprehensively as she peered straight into her eyes.

For a moment there was an awkward silence, then:

"She's female, all right."

The girl relaxed as the two girls in the doorway screamed, "WHAT IN THE UNIVERSE OF CHEESE WAS THAT FOR!?"

Wendy gave a strangled laugh. "I'm Wendy Marvell. Um, do you mind if I take this bed?" She gestured for the bed closest to the window, still neatly made.

"Sure, none of us need it. I'm Cana, I take this bed here." The girl with the long chocolate hair flopped her slim figure onto the bed closest to the door.

"Levy McGarden." The first girl, a cute and friendly looking bluenette, flashed her a crooked grin, patting the bed next to Cana's. "And this is Laki."

Purple Hair raised her eyebrows at Wendy, and with a shock she realized that Laki had the bed right next to her.

"I hope you don't sleepwalk," was all that she said.

**The Next Morning (Monday)**

Wendy stared at the map of the school so helpfully posted at the front of the hall, then double checked her own paper map.

She pointed her finger at the square marked Classroom 34 and kept it there as she maneuvered her way down the hall, counting doors.

_/Room 34... Room 34... there!/_

The door was open, like an invitation to enter. She stepped in.

The room was covered in white wallpaper from top to bottom, with a clean white dry erase board at the front, a teacher's cubicle and pristine white desks and chairs. Even the uniforms of her classmates were white.

Bubbling conversation welcomed her into the room, and she lost all senses of awkwardness.

She approached a friendly looking girl. "Um, excuse me," she began.

The girl grinned. "Are you a freshman?"

"I'm a junior here on a scholarship."

She didn't seem to hear her. "The freshmen always have a private welcoming ceremony for their grade, I think the Student Council are doing it in a few minutes down at the stadium. If you don't hurry you might be too late for it." The girl gave her another smile, then turned to chat with her friends.

Undaunted, Wendy walked over to another girl with short white hair who was chatting to a bluenette and blonde. She recognized the bluenette as Levy, the girl who had opened the door for her at the dorm house.

The white haired girl noticed her walk up. "Hi, I'm Lisanna Strauss, I might look familiar, my sister is Mirajane. How can I help you? Oh, you must be a freshman."

Wendy shook her head. "I'm a junior, I'm twelve but I'm here on a scholarship."

Lisanna's eyes widened. "You got that scholarship too? So the rumours were true. There are two really smart juniors this year! It's going to be tough competition but you look really nice so I'm sure you won't rub it in when you get better marks than mine." She stuck out her hand. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

"Did I forget to tell you? Wendy's in my dorm," Levy informed her. Lisanna responded with a gaping mouth.

"NO WAY!" She turned to Wendy. "That's so awesome! I'm coming down to visit you tonight, so expect me," she giggled.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "So you're here with that boy Romeo? I see..."

Wendy clenched her teeth. With him? Not a chance.

"I'd rather not be compared to that spoiled brat." The words had come out naturally and she covered her mouth in shock. "Oh god, don't tell him I said that."

The blonde grinned. "It's okay, there are people I hate too. "I'm Lucy," the blonde introduced herself. "I came here last year, so I know a bit how you feel. Just ask if you have any questions, okay?"

"Sure.. um, do you know where the teacher is? My schedule says my first block is 'SB' but I don't know what that means. When do we eat dinner, and do we have to pay for it?

Levy answered all of them without batting an eyelash. "Our teacher, Mr. Capricorn always comes at 8 o'clock sharp. We usually have to be in our seats by then, but today is the first day of school so he might be a bit lenient.. oh well, most likely not. SB? Your first block must be a Study Block. Everyone gets at least two a week, although rarely first thing in the morning. You can study anywhere on the grounds as long as you make it on time to your next class. And as for dinner, we have to present our Student IDs - they're part of our tablets - and head to the Dinner Hall. Dinner is available from five to nine, but you can come and go anytime. It's completely free, included in our tuition."

"Do you know which field trip team you're in?" Lisanna asked. "Maybe we could introduce you to your trip buddies at lunch." Fairy Tail organized all students into 4 teams, trying to make it even between grades so that seniors could get to know freshmen and vice versa. Once a month the teams would spend a weekend camping, hiking, wakeboarding or other outdoor activities.

Wendy shook her head. "It still hasn't been clarified. I thought I'd get a note or something but they still haven't told me."

The white haired girl gave a laugh. "You can find out at the office! I'll come pick you up at lunch - What classes do you have?"

**-o0o-**

It had been fun talking with them. Wendy almost smiled as she remembered comparing lists and finding out she had practically all her Tuesday and Thursday classes with Lisanna and Lucy and an almost identical schedule with Levy on Wednesday in the advanced classes. The only exceptions were her Monday and Friday classes - and their last block electives: Lisanna had art, Lucy had interior design, Levy had some sort of ancient script/handwriting class and Wendy had an Elective of purely soccer. She didn't even remember signing up for those!

Then a horrible surprise reared its ugly head.

"How about Monday and Friday? We don't have any classes with each other," Lisanna observed.

The blonde observed Wendy's schedule paper with a wrinkled nose. "That's really annoying, your Monday and Friday classes are basically copies of each other," Lucy pointed out. "Imagine having to be stuck with the very same people every Monday - worst day of the week - and Friday - best day of the week. Way to ruin your life."

"But if they're nice, that's a good thing," Lisanna cheered.

"You guys can talk - at least you know them," Levy said good naturedly. "Most of my advanced classes are on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so half the time I'm with seniors and the other half I spend learning how to talk all over again." It was true. Monday and Tuesday she had language classes for Old English, French, German, Traditional Japanese, Chinese and Korean, not to mention an eight-week nighttime course on "Science-ese".

"Read yours out loud again," Lucy told Wendy.

"Okay, I have: Study Block, Trigonometry, a break; then Chemistry, Soccer and after lunch, another Soccer." She groaned at the mention of the last two classes. Soccer, lunch, soccer. Who had come up with those three in a row? Unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy.

"Friday?"

"Soccer in the morning, another Study Block, break, Trig, Chem, lunch, Soccer." She thought she heard a faint echo of her own schedule, somewhere across the room. Strange.

"Did you hear that?" Lisanna wrinkled her nose.

"Is there something I'm missing? Cuz I don't hear a thing," Levy shrugged.

Wendy turned to look at Lucy and got the shock of her life. The pretty blonde who was so calm and beautiful had her face contorted in like a troll face, laughing her head off.

"Lu-chan! Are you crazy?" Levy grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her back and forth.

"No - it's - just that - oh fuck." And she started laughing again. Lisanna frowned, uncomfortable.

Lucy laughed herself into coughing and when she was finally alright, she stared at Wendy.

"I'm so sorry, but I think you have the exact same Monday and Friday schedule as Romeo Conbolt." She pointed across the room at a smug looking boy reading aloud his schedule.

Wendy could have strangled her.

If it weren't for the voice across the room shouting, "OH SNAP, WENDY, IS THAT YOU?"

Wendy never, ever swore, but she told herself she'd let this one time slip if she needed to.

"Sorry, Wendy." Lucy winced.

Three boys strutted over, one so much shorter than the others and only a couple inches taller than Wendy herself.

He gave a cute grin, but his eyes were full of arrogance. Wendy returned them with what she hoped looked like indifference in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Romeo shook his head, laughing the whole time. "God, Wendy, you've grown."

Just ignore him. Don't let him see your anger. Ignore him, ignore him, ignore-

"You look kinda cute," he ruffled her hair, a brave act considering he was only a couple inches taller and the Brat of Her Life.

Grrrr.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, jerking her head away. He backed up, surprised for a moment, giving her temporary satisfaction.

"Is she your friend from your old school?" A tall junior, the boy on his left, asked.

Wendy prepared to hit him in the face, should he reveal that they had even heard of each other before.

"No," she heard him say in surprise. She relaxed.

Romeo laughed. "She used to be one of my biggest fangirls."

Fancy him saying that to two boys a lot cooler and at least half a foot taller than him. Conceited snob.

"What!? I thought you said he was a brat?" Lisanna squealed, receiving laughs from the two male juniors (and Lucy).

Wendy clenched her teeth. "He is a brat, and I was never one of his fangirls. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a free block and I'd like to take a walk in the gardens." She checked that she had her map, and then turned on one heel and stomped angrily out of the classroom.

Wendy's mind was still buzzing as she entered the gardens, relieved by the fresh scent of the flowers and the fact that no one was around to bother her.

No one seemed to think badly of Romeo here. He had friends, all the girls seemed to want to eat him up.

The Brat, she muttered under her breath. What was it that girl from yesterday had said? Oh, yeah.

She had called Romeo "cute".

Cute, my grades, she thought angrily to herself.

"I move to a new school, and you just HAVE to follow me. And as a prefect too!"

She knew she had no right to blame him for coming. He probably had jumped at the chance if a scholarship, just like her. Yet, it was a horrible surprise to see him on stage. And now she had classes with him, too.

Monday and Friday! With Romeo! Is this some kind of joke!?

The next thing I do when I get back inside the building is file a request for changing my schedule!

Wendy stomped forwards angrily with no sense of direction. That brat!

**SMACK!**

A sharp pain erupted in her skull and Wendy realized she had walked straight into someone.

"Hello, young lady." A tall young man smiled down at her, his curious brown eyes twinkling.

"S-sorry, sir!" Wendy stammered, rubbing her forehead and backing up.

"No, I should be the one to apologize. I saw you coming and didn't think to move. You see, I was thinking."

"Oh no, that's all right." Wendy breathed a sigh of relief. "What were you thinking about? If you don't mind me asking," she added quickly when he gave her a shocked look.

"Obviously I don't mind! But no one really takes interest in what I think about," he laughed. "I'm just wondering how to introduce myself to my class today.

Wendy listened in interest while he explained that he was a gym teacher at the school.

"I like walking in the garden while I think. I've been doing it all summer, but you're the first person I've bumped into so far," he let out a nervous laugh that made Wendy feel perfectly at ease.

"Is this your first year?" Wendy asked.

"Yup, just moved here from the Capital. Crocus, you know, I used to work there. I thought I'd take a break and do what I've had an interest in ever since I was a boy. I'm very nervous," he grinned. "I wonder what my students will be like. I hope they're not mean..."

"Everyone here is nice," Wendy assured him, with more confidence than she felt.

He laughed. "You don't look so sure! But it trust you, so I won't push it."

"It's my first year here too..." Wendy informed him shyly. And she filled him in on her scholarship and academic history, to which he listened with big boyish eyes.

His eyes sparkled when he heard she was a junior.

"I see. Shouldn't you be in class right now?" He grinned.

Wendy grinned back. "Nope! My first block is a study block."

"Well then, how about that? Monday mornings I have no classes to teach either. Care to meet sometimes in the garden?"

Wendy's eyes widened as she took this in.

"Oh but if you like to study - or spend time with your friends - I'm not a very good study partner, and I daresay there are a lot of tests for a smart junior," he said sheepishly.

"It's not like that," Wendy replied hastily. "It'd be fun, but I can't say I'll be here every week..."

He nodded, relieved. "You're a good girl, and a great adviser. I'm looking forward to talking more with you." His eyes focused on Wendy one last time. "You should get going now. I don't want you to be late for your first class because of me." He smiled widely, giving the impression that he was still a young boy, then he turned and walked away.

Wendy beamed after him, eyes wide. She had just found her first friend at Fairy Tail Academy.

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**A/N Hey y'all! How'd you like it? It's up to you to review but please tell me what you think :)**


	2. Classes With The Brat

**Chapter 2 - Classes With The Brat**

**A/N So I've been thinking and honestly I just had to put in a certain white haired woman (not Lisanna). This chapter contains more NaLu than the last chapter, so you NaLu fans will get what you're promised!**

**By the way, the surprise character might be a bit OOC. If you don't like, don't read.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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She wandered around the gardens until she heard the bell from the clock tower ring, then hurried into the school. /Once we have break I am changing my schedule/, she promised herself.

"Wendy McGarden?" A voice caused her to turn around. It was Laki.

Gulping, she took a deep breath and smiled. "Sorry, but I'm going to be late for my class-"

"That's alright. I'm going to Trigonometry as well -" wonder how she found that out "- and maybe I could guide you to the room?"

Nodding agreeably, Wendy followed Laki to the Trig room. They made it just seconds in front of the teacher himself. For the next hour Wendy was bored as she listened to the Trig Ratio basics, something she had already read up on from the very beginning of summer. Seeing the student next to her struggle made her pity him, though, and she offered to explain everything to him instead of reading a book or preparing for her next class (Chem).

"What's your name?" she prompted the orange spiky haired guy. He was chewing on a pencil.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I grossing you out?" He muttered back, then directed a winning smile at her (mind you, he was looking down about 45 degrees because he was so much taller than her). "I'm Loke. You must be the young scholarship girl - I heard she was cute, but you're just adorable."

He got up, tossed the pencil in the trash, and walked back, attention focussed entirely on her. "So, how can I help you?"

"Um, it's not like that. I wondered if maybe you needed some... that is, I read about these over the summer, so..." I must sound like either a know-it-all snob or a goof.

To her astonishment he responded with another, bigger smile (he had been grinning the whole time). Loke took a quick glance back at his paper, then laughed and accepted her offer.

When the bell rang, they straightened up only to find they both had very stiff backs. "Good thing it's break, I'm beat," Wendy admitted with a small chuckle.

"What classes do you have after break?"

"Um, Chem, Soccer and after lunch, Soccer," Wendy recited. The word was beginning to get stuck in her head.

Loke's face lit up. "I've got Soccer and Soccer as well! **(A/N oh that sounds sooo weird doesn't it?)** Third block I have Astronomy but I'll see you in Fourth." He waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd of students.

_/Hm... Uh oh, I forgot to ask him where to go for Soccer.../_

She stared at the map, but there were four fields - one for each grade in the North, East, West and South - and she couldn't remember which was which. She tapped on the shoulder of the person in front of her:

"Excuse me, do you know which field is the junior's?"

The student spun around. "Oh. I thought you weren't speaking to me." Romeo grinned boyishly at her.

_/No way! I completely forgot he was in this class!/_

"Were you even present at this class today, because I didn't see you at all," Wendy asked suspiciously, her mind unable to recall any memories of seeing him.

"So you looked for me?" Romeo's eyes twinkled. "I actually was at the back, resting on a couch while you slaved over the Trig with your new boyfriend. I assumed you had moved on but now you come looking for me? Sorry but I'm way outta your league."

Wendy held her chin up and tried to look indifferent. "One, it's not like that at ALL. Two, we do NOT come to this school together, no matter what anyone says, okay? And three, could you please show me which of these fields is for the juniors?"

The boy rolled his eyes and jabbed at the South field. "That one. And you're the one who wanted to talk to me," Romeo pointed out.

_/Ugh! You brat! I didn't even know it was you!/_ her inner justice screamed.

"So," he continued, "see you in Chemistry?" He winked, and before Wendy could come up with a practical retort he had sunk into the wave of students rushing to make the most out of their break.

**-o0o-**

Lucy sighed as she scribbled down another answer, then erased it.

_/This is so STUPID./_

She looked up and saw Mr. Capricorn staring right at her, arms crossed with a stern but calm look.

"Fine, fine, I'll finish it."

Spinning the pencil in her hand expertly, she stared at the math question until her eyes went fuzzy. How could anyone work these out without fainting?

_/Ugh! If only I hadn't been staring at that crazy pink hair the whole block./_ She allowed herself a small smile. /_Crazy guy... but so cute./_

"Miss Heartfilia!" Capricorn snapped his fingers right under her nose and she realized she was dozing off. "If you won't finish your work you'll stay after school." He stalked around the front of the room. "Your attention has been drifting in and out of this room the entire period! Focus on your basic mathematics. You're usually not this - ah, unheeding."

Lucy just stared. _/That's right. It's my first class with him sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and I can't believe I'm this inattentive. He's cute but I'm usually a good student! Crap, is this how it's gonna be all year?/_

Capricorn's voice sounded concerned. "Is there something bothering you, Miss Heartfilia?"

She stood up. "No, sorry, I'll have it done by tomorrow, sir." She was afraid he might protest but instead he just bowed and gave her a look of sympathy.

Her thoughts flashed back to her unfinished math homework. /_Yup, I need all the sympathy I can get./_

But first she had to find Mira. Certainly she would have the answer.

**-o0o-**

"Made it!" Wendy slipped into the only empty chair left. Why she was always late to classes she would never know. It must have had something to do with the amount of reading, thinking and studying she did during breaks.

A couple of students looked at her, and then a familiar chuckle rose from the student to her right.

/_Shoooooooot./_

"Don't. Bother. Me." she hissed.

"You're the one who started talking," Romeo hissed back. Wendy could sense the smile lifting on his face.

"We're just classmates, okay?"

"Yup. Got it. Don't know you, you don't know me." Wendy lifted an eyebrow suspiciously, but pulled out her books without another word.

_/If he says one word to me in this entire period, I will definitely disown him for the rest of our lives,/_ she promised herself.

**Romeo's POV**

Romeo smirked. /_Cute kid./_ He shook off the fact that she was exactly his age. She seemed younger, but smarter. For her age.

Obviously, I have got to have better marks than her. Come to think of it, he couldn't recall any mention of her being so academically gifted even at their old schools. Then again, he hadn't paid much attention to her, only knowing her as "that blue-haired, short girl who never talks". He gave a low chuckle, remembering how one of his friends had always had this stupid crush on her for being sweet and pleasant and innocent.

_/Yeah, right./_

She lifted her head, turned, and glared at him.

**-o0o-**

Wendy sighed, dropping her books in her locker then pulling out a worn out gym bag.

/_The only perk about having soccer classes is, the fields are out in the fresh air. It must smell almost as nice as the gardens!/_

She allowed herself a small smile and then marched out the building towards the South Field, assuming the locker rooms were down there.

She breathed in the sweet air.

/_Well, at least I was right about one thing./_

Wendy nodded to herself, and entered the changerooms.

**At the same time...**

Romeo double checked his map. /_Shoot, got water spilled onto it./_

Not that he could recall it happening.

Tossing it in the rubbish bin, he turned to the student beside him. "Excuse me, could you please show me where the Juniors' Locker Rooms are?"

"Just head straight to the North Field, they're in a building with signs for male and female. It won't be hard to miss," the student responded.

_/North Field!?/_ "Um, don't you mean the South Field?"

The student blinked in confusion. "What?! No, that's for the Freshmen."

_/Dangit. I gave her the wrong information!/_ Romeo screamed at himself. /_She's soo gonna kill me now.../_

He heard the warning bell ring which meant two minutes until the next period started. Romeo darted into the classroom, scanning it desperately. His jaw dropped. She had already left!

_/Shiit, I am so dead. Late on the first day? Even I wouldn't want that!/_

There was only one way out of this.

He gathered up his courage and ran for the South Field.

**In the South Field...**

"WHAT!? I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Wendy stuttered as she faced the Freshman Gym Teacher.

"Don't worry about it. You should head up to the North Field now, you don't want to be late." The tall athletic woman smiled down at her, then blew her whistle and walked off towards the waiting freshmen students.

Glumly, Wendy walked back to the locker room and grabbed her gym bag. It was all that stupid brat's fault! She should have known he would pull something like this.

She stopped walking. Footsteps?

A head popped up in the bushes in front of her. "Wendy!"

Romeo.

"What in the world are you doing here!? You gave me the wrong information you st-"

"I KNOW!" Romeo gritted his teeth, then changed his mind and grabbed her by the hand. "It's the North Field, hurry up or we'll both be late!" He took off running, dragging her after him.

Wendy seethed but did as she was told. Being caught by the hand made it hard to run, so she yanked it out. "Arrogant brat," she muttered under her breath. She could be nice to anyone else, just not him.

Thankfully she was already changed, so once she got there she stood off the edge of the small crowd of students. Romeo was the last to join them, not because he had been running slower than her (because he hadn't) but because he hadn't changed beforehand.

The teacher still wasn't there, Wendy realized with a smile. She was partly disappointed (Romeo didn't get in trouble) but also relieved that neither of them had to face an angry teacher on their first day.

"Hey who's the new teacher, ya think?" one of the students nearby her was saying.

"I hope this year's Junior is really nice - you know, funny and participates," a girl suggested.

"Or really stern," a black haired guy said, "We need someone who takes this job seriously."

"As long as it's a man, I don't care," a fourth student shrugged. "Remember last year's woman sub? Creepy." he shivered. Wendy thought something looked familiar about him. Pink hair.

"That's cuz you were messing around with the sports equipment, smartypants!" a red haired girl slapped him on the head, and Wendy knew. They were the students from yesterday. Pink Hair was the one who yelled and laughed a lot, Black Hair was the guy who kept insulting him, and Red Hair was that girl who punched both.

Red Hair noticed her, locking eyes. "Stop fooling around you two, we have a scholarship girl in our presence," she snapped, punching them again. They fell on their backs.

"Hi there, you're Wendy, right?" She held out a hand, all signs of sternness erased. "I'm Erza Scarlet, the Student Council President. If you ever need anything, just let me know, okay?"

Wendy nodded. "Th-thanks."

"I'm Gray, this is Firebrain." The black-haired boy dusted himself off and yanked on his shirt collar. "Stupid restraining shirt."

"STOP COMPLAINING!" He was punched back to the ground. Erza helped the pink-haired boy up.

"This is Natsu. He's a bit of a, er," Erza looked to Gray for help.

"Cheesehead," Gray mouthed.

"Cheesehead," Erza finished.

"Did you say cheese?" Natsu perked up, earning a sigh from both Erza and Gray.

Wendy just laughed.

/_These people seem nice./_

Erza continued, gesturing to the girl and boy - "This is Bisca and Alzack." Bisca and Alzack both waved and smiled before turning back to each other to continue... whatever it was they had been doing, consisting of a mixture of trailing off sentences and very obvious blushes.

The redhead looked Wendy up and down then gave her an approving smile. "You look like an incredibly responsible girl, right?" she leaned in closer and whispered, "they have committed a lot of, shall we say, crimes, in the past couple of years. It'd help a lot if you kept an eye on them, make sure they're not fooling around on school grounds." Erza straightened up. "Well, looks like the class has finally begun to get restless."

They turned to watch a loud group of boys sorting the other students into two teams. Wendy recognized Loke standing among several fangirls, trying to sort them out into groups. She laughed when he was tackled by three very lovesick females. They dropped to the ground and all she could spot of him was some spiky orange hair that was being stroked by the girl kneeling over his head.

After five minutes of extreme torture and pampering Loke finally straightened out, by that time the class had already divided into two soccer teams, fourteen in each. Wendy was on a team with Erza, Gray, and Natsu (because they had all been conveniently standing together when picked). Bisca had oh-so-conveniently tripped and now she was in the infirmary with Alzack (who had insisted on carrying her there), although Erza had had a different idea of where they had gone.

Wendy looked at Erza. The redhead was standing next to her with a big, devilish smile, glaring daggers and threats at the opposing team.

Erza smiled kindly at her.

"Are you good at soccer?"

Wendy winced, remembering the many bruises she had applied to herself while playing any sport (even swimming - she tripped over the edge while trying to dive and ended up filling the pool with blood from her scraped knees). Soccer was the worst. "I, er, um," she began.

"She's horrible!" A familiar and loud voice popped in, followed by the sauntering figure of Romeo in front of them. He was flanked by the two guys from that morning, as well as another that Wendy had seen flirting with Talia Finch before school started that morning (thankfully the Freshman Prefect shooed off any attempts to date her).

"Last time she played as a forward, she tripped over the ball and injured over three people." Romeo smiled ever-so-sweetly at Wendy, a smug look that she would not forget so quickly. "It would be safer for all of us if she just sat this one out, wouldn't it?"

"As the Student Council President I demand you NOT to say such things to Wendy! She is sweet and smart and I bet she's just fine at soccer-" Erza's rant was interrupted by Romeo holding up one hand calmly.

Romeo just smiled and before Wendy could react, a soccer ball was sent flying from his hand. She moved to catch it but tripped instead, sending it flying over Romeo's head. One of the boys caught it, tossing it expertly up and down with his hands.

"Student Council President, I think you might want to rethink that. This clumsy little girl is never going to excel at sports, especially not soccer."

Wendy felt the blood rushing to her head. "Just because you're so good at soccer doesn't mean you have the right to say that!" she huffed, pouting her cheeks in a very cute way. She didn't notice Romeo's cheeks turning just the slightest pink.

He let out an obnoxious laugh. "Thank you for the compliment. But really, don't mess up on the field. On second thought, maybe you should. Then my team will win for sure." Still laughing, Romeo and his 'lackeys' headed down the field to the opposite team.

Wendy didn't notice the tears until after she had gotten up. Her vision was blurry, so she accepted the handkerchief Erza handed her and wiped her face and knees.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have allowed them to do that - It's vile," Erza apologized. "Please accept my apologies for being a horrible President and punish me any way you like."

The bluenette shook her head quickly. "No way! It's fine, really."

"But-"

"Don't. It was kind of you to say those things about me, but honestly, I am horrible at soccer." Wendy sighed. "Just please don't pass to me."

Erza continued giving her doubtful and apologetic looks, but then a student named Max walked out into the middle of the field between two teams. "I'm the ref again," he was singing loudly and triumphantly. He earned a few weird looks but Wendy decided he wasn't too bad, at least not as bad as the most talkative people back at her old school.

"Oi, people!" Max yelled. "Cuz the teacher's incredibly late, we're starting in half a minute without 'im! Get your lovely selves off the benches," he directed this part at the girls still tying their fancy Converse shoes, "and get on the field."

"Who's the teacher?" Wendy asked Erza. The redhead replied with a shake of her head.

"I'm actually not sure. None of the Student Council members have been told yet, because it's a new teacher. The speculating we - Natsu, Gray, Bisca, Alzack and I - were doing earlier proves that we don't know a thing, not even what gender or how much experience the teacher will have." She crossed her arms while staring at the opposite forward.

_/Well, I know one thing. He or she either has a good excuse to be late or is just naturally a tardy person./_

It was ironic, really. Of all the teachers, it was the P.E. teacher, supposedly fit and knowledgeable about sportsmanship, that was late on the first day.

Wendy stared blankly at the team across from her, who was still talking and arguing about who got which position. Romeo walked towards the bunch and in a few seconds they were all given positions of which no one seemed to complain about. She noticed Loke was assigned as goalie, looking very smart in a green sports suit and sunglasses. None of the defense were girls, a smart move on Romeo's part considering they'd be doing more fangirling than defending.

_/Not that he's smart, obviously. It's something anyone with the littlest marks over 50% would be able to figure out./_

Romeo himself was a forward, as well as the boy who had been flirting with Talia. He noticed her staring and directed a smug smile just for her. She clenched her teeth and turned defiantly away, the fact that he was across from her and would most likely use her clumsiness to his full advantage not overlooked.

Pretty soon the half minute was over, but it wasn't Max who marched out onto the field. Wendy's eyes widened as she recognized the man walking out towards midfield.

As if on cue he saw her as well. His eyes had a certain sparkle to them. "So we meet again."

"You're our teacher!?" Wendy squealed, then clasped a palm over her mouth, embarrassed at her outburst. Of course he was, he had told her he was a physical education teacher, and Erza had explained that the teacher was new.

He laughed. "Glad to see you're in my class. I realized I forgot to tell you my name. I'm professionally known as Doranbolt," he informed her. "Let's get started, or should we say, continue. It seems you have already sorted yourselves out." Wendy watched in amazement as he blew the whistle around his neck, making sure the whole class was paying attention before giving out questions. "I'm sorry, was there going to be a referee?"

There was an awkward silence as the class contemplated this, then one female student jabbed a thumb towards the benches where Max was scratching his head, confused. "That would be him."

"Ah, there we go, a referee. Then I'll just stand back and let you all play, since you are already so acquainted with the sport." Looking satisfied and relieved, he gave Wendy a thumbs up and then backed up to sit on a bench outside the playing boundaries.

. . . and Max marched out on the field again, raising one arm and holding a trumpet speaker up to his mouth in the other. "Ladies and gentlemen! Both teams are now in place, sorted out, etcetera. Make sure you stay on your side of the field at the beginning. No foul play and foul language. Respective to the goalies, the teams will be called under Loke and Warren."

"Can we start now?" A student groaned.

Max turned and stared before tossing his trumpet speaker towards the building and grabbing a soccer ball. "Right, sorry." He stuck it in the center, decided on how to begin the game then said, "Loke's team, heads or tails?"

"Tails!" the orange haired goalie called out.

"Alright, Warren's team can be heads." He flipped a coin that had been taken out of his shirt pocket. Wendy blinked when it reflected light into her eyes before Max slapped it down and announced, "Tails, Loke's team it is!"

Max stuck the whistle in his mouth and signalled for everyone to get into their respective places.

Wendy bit her lip, grimacing. Romeo had such a determined and confident look on his face that it was obvious he was sure to win. The bluenette ran the script over in her head: Someone passes the ball, Wendy trips, the other team gets the ball, Romeo scores, routine repeated a dozen times, at the end his team wins and Wendy is embarrassed and hated by her own team forever. Yup, definitely gonna happen.

"Get ready to lose, darling," he hissed, and the whistle blew.

Before Wendy could move Romeo had the ball and was running it down the field, with expert posture (well as far as Wendy could tell, being a soccer-messup) and keeping the ball away from everyone around him. There was no time for defense and the first goal was easily scored.

Guilty, Wendy sulked as the few defense who had actually moved returned to their positions warily. She, of course, didn't have to because she hadn't even left the general area that she had started from. She tried not to watch Romeo grinning as he sauntered back to his first position, trying to catch her attention to flash her another smug look. The ball was returned to the center circle and Erza patted her on the back before another round began.

In the following minutes she managed an adequate pass to someone she didn't even know but was on her team, and thankfully that was the only chance she got to have the ball, she thought as she stood in once place staring at the barely sweating Romeo, alone with the ball surrounded by three students on her own team. They were giving him a tough time but she was sure, unfortunately, that it wouldn't stay that way for long. In addition to the first goal he had scored two others, with one other student on his team scoring one, leaving the score currently 4-0 for Loke's team.

_/Why does he have to be such a good athlete, of all people?/_

Sighing, she moved towards him and was surprised when he spotted her, smiled brightly and kicked it over. Astonished, the three students trapping him actually moved away to let Wendy get it. She stopped it with her foot and stared down at it, dazed.

"Hey, what are you waiting for!? PASS!" Wendy looked up in surprise and unconsciously kicked it towards the voice.

Then realized it was the OTHER forward on the OTHER team: aka Mister I-Love-You-Talia-Finch.

_/CURSE MY STUPIDNESS!/_ Wendy screamed internally. Romeo ran past her, but not before looking directly at her and making the 'Loser' sign with his fingers.

Wendy refused to continue participating for the rest of the game. She stayed near the corner where no one ever came, despite the fact that she was supposed to be a forward. She tried not to look at Doranbolt, either, but once in a while he caught her eye and every time he smiled. It hurt her to know that he was so friendly despite her being such a mess up and not participating. She watched Erza instead and cheered alongside her team when the redhead scored the first and only goal for their team.

She made sure not to look at Romeo, either.

**-o0o-**

"Wheew! The boys smelled crazy bad," Erza chided. "It annoys me to no end that they neglect the proper physical hygiene, especially during exercise blocks! I'll have to mention it to the rest of the Student Council and have something done about it. Air fresheners or something."

Wendy was sitting at a table in the cafeteria with Cana, Laki, Lisanna, and Levy to her left, Lucy to her right, and Erza, Natsu, Gray, Bisca and Alzack across from her in left-to-right order. The whole table rolled their eyes at Erza's complaint.

"How did you like the teacher?" Wendy asked, not sure why she wanted to know.

"Doranbolt Sensei? He looks pretty cute," Bisca commented.

"Did he, now?" Alzack teased, with a smirk on his face.

"N-no, of course not!" Bisca stuttered. Bisca blushed when he interlaced her hand with his, earning giggles from Lisanna and Levy.

"I think he's nice," Laki said.

"You've met him?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Yes, in the hallway. I dropped some books and he picked them up for me. I even let him read one of them, but he declined although he said they looked very interesting."

The table went silent at this last comment while Laki finished her burger and tossed the wrapper in the garbage can. The only books Laki ever read were on Medieval Torture Devices.

It was Levy who broke the silence. "So, Wendy, how did you like your first day at Fairy Tail so far?"

The newcomer bluenette grimaced. "Umm, it was alright..." The only good parts were meeting Doranbolt and Loke, but she didn't want to bore them with that or suggest their company was not good enough. "I didn't learn very much though."

"How was being in the same class with Romeo? Disgusting? Dreadful?" The bookworm sounded genuinely concerned but Wendy wished she didn't have to be reminded.

Lucy leaned over the table, smiling shamelessly. "Or... did you like it?"

"Lu-chan, that's enough!" Levy swatted at her friend. Lucy slumped back in her seat but kept her eyes on Wendy.

Truthfully enough, Wendy didn't know how to answer. She was sure she hated it but how could she describe Romeo being a selfish and arrogant brat even after he came to get her from the South Field? It would be really mean of her, and she didn't want to appear that way in front of such a friendly group on her first day of school.

"I didn't like it," Wendy said honestly, "But he did catch up with me to bring me to the North Field (although I hadn't needed it) - but after giving me the wrong information," she finished, unsure of how it sounded.

Lucy, Lisanna and Laki all nodded in unison, staring at her and waiting for more.

"I am SUPER, INCREDIBLY FAMISHED," Erza said as she arrived at the table and set down her tray. Cana peered over at her choice of food.

"Strawberry shortcake again?" she asked skeptically.

"Does it bother you?" Erza shot an evil look at Cana (who withdrew immediately) before settling in happily to eat her cake.

"Mmmm, delicious! Nobody touch this cake, it's MINE. You lovely thing. All my pains have been washed away~" Erza sang out, earning weird looks from everyone at the table.

"Your limbs don't hurt?" Natsu asked, pausing temporarily from his food to look up inquisitively. He had rammed into some opposing players (completely by accident, he had claimed with a foolish grin) but insisted on continuing playing.

"Can't stand a little pain in life, can ya, Flame Brain," Gray snickered.

"Like you can, Ice PRINCESS," Natsu shot back.

"Tch. You're always being such a sissy," Gray scoffed.

"Says the one who wails regularly about such a simple thing as being stalked by one girl," Natsu retorted. Everyone but Wendy had amused looks on their faces when he said that.

"I do NOT wail!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!" Gray yelled. A second later he realized his mistake. The table members sat, awed that Natsu was actually smart enough to trick the raven-haired stripper.

"Sissy, sissy," Natsu chanted before digging into his lasagna again. He was such a baka it was impossible to tell whether or not he had actually done it on purpose or by accident.

**Gray's POV**

_/It couldn't be... Urrg, dang that Natsu, doing something as stupid as that!/_

But honestly there was only himself to blame for falling for it. Gray stared in shock before retaliating. He smiled wickedly.

_/I've got the trump card. You better be ready for this, flamebrain/_

**Lucy's POV**

Lucy watched as the boys bickered as usual. Sighing, she took a bit out of her slice of lemon meringue, deciding to wait it out although she had been on the verge of telling the table that she needed someone to help her. Oh well, she could just ask Levy later.

_/Why are they both such idiots? No, not idiots... just... inhumanely dense./_

Gray and Natsu went through a "Yes you do" "No you don't" argument before Natsu unexpectedly turned the tables.

She was contemplating leaving early for the next block when she spotted Gray's shameless smile. He noticed her looking and his grin just grew wider. Rolling her eyes, she dug back into her lemon meringue, when she heard:

"Who's the one crying cuz the girl they like doesn't like him back, Squinty Eyes?"

Lucy dropped her fork.

**CLANG!**

_/The girl he likes!? Why didn't I know he likes a girl!? And it's obviously not me because that girl rejected him. I didn't even know Natsu had confessed to someone - huh, how does Gray know this before I do!?/_

But of course Lucy was not Natsu's keeper and he had every right to tell a secret to Gray.. or confide in him.. or whatever you call it when a boy shares his love life with another boy who is supposedly his enemy.

**Normal POV**

Natsu choked when he heard Gray's last comment, terminating his lasagna demolishment to let the words swim around in his brain until he finally got the message. His face turned a deep shade of red.

But not as much as Lucy's. She dipped her head to hide her blush, then blonde got up, dropped her food in the garbage and plopped her tray on a pile, and stormed her way out of the cafeteria.

Her departure was went unnoticed by all but three people: 1) A curious and confused Wendy 2) A concerned Levy and 3) A very, very, VERY interested young woman sitting at the table by the door, aka Mirajane "Matchmaker" Strauss. Her best friends called her that for a reason.

"Lu-chan! Wait!" Levy squealed, hopping after her friend. Wendy decided to get up and follow them to see if she could help in any way, and then-

Heck this lovely milkshake, I'm going too. Mira hopped up and tossed the milkshake in the trash, proceeding to follow the three girls discreetly and stealthily outdoors.

"Lu-chan!" Levy and Wendy screamed, obviously they had lost track of her. Sighing, Mira decided to blow her cover. The two bluenettes screamed as Mira unexpectedly stepped out from behind a pillar.

"Gomenasai, did I shock you!? I'm so sorry, really, oh-is there something wrong?" Mira asked concerned. She decided to go with the 'I was just here staring at the cracks in this pillar when I heard you scream' act.

Wendy quickly shook her head and pushed out her palms as a sign of polite declination. "N-no, it's nothing we can't deal with." Levy quickly moved to agree.

_/These girls need a bit of prodding./_

"Are you sure? I thought I heard Lucy running out of the cafeteria, too."

The bluenettes looked at each other, then came to an unspoken decision. Levy spoke first.

"Well, you see, Mira, Natsu and Gray were bickering..." she trailed off. Wendy picked up.

"And then Gray said something like, 'You're the one crying because the girl you like doesn't like you back'...and called him something."

Levy nodded. "He said, and I quote, 'Who's the one crying cuz the girl they like doesn't like him back, Squinty Eyes?'" Both bluenettes winced at the name even though the bookworm should be used to it after two years with those crazy kids.

Mira giggled earning a strange glance from her two... er... 'informants'.

_/Oops! Better say something so they don't close up to me.../_

"That's... not nice at all. Do they do that often?" She earned a nervous laugh from Levy.

"I'm surprised you haven't noticed; they've been doing that for years," Levy sighed, remembering the many sad, funny and sometimes very disturbing occurrences between the two rivals.

_/...Okay, so maybe that wasn't the right thing to say./_

"Anyways, that statement didn't stand out to me for a bit until the words really sunk in. Gray looked like he had just won the lottery but Natsu turned red... and then... really, our whole table was shocked."

Wendy nodded enthusiastically. "Including me, and I don't even know Natsu very well."

Mira nodded sympathetically. "But, why did you and Lucy come out?"

Levy looked uncertain as she said, "Er...Luce told me that... I mean..it's like that." She finished, turning her eyes to the white haired girl as if pleading for her to understand.

Mira laughed and ruffled Levy's hair. "It's alright if you don't share, I understand it could be a personal matter," Mira said with smooth generosity, although she was bursting in the inside.

Wendy smiled. "That's really nice of you, Miss Strauss." Levy smiled too, the pair of them obviously relieved.

Mira's proceeding thoughts went something like this:

_/NOOOOOOOO YOU HORRIBLE BAKA MIRA! WHY DID YOU LET THAT HAPPEN? WAIT, STOP THE CRITICIZING RIGHT THERE! YOU ARE THE QUEEN OF ALL MATCHMAKERS AND YOU CAN DEFINITELY DO THIS! JUST FIND OUT HOW LUCY, WENDY AND LEVY ARE AFFECTED BY THIS COMMENT AND MAKE SURE WHATEVER RELATIONSHIPS THERE ARE BLOSSOMS! AND WAIT, IF YOUR HUNCH IS CORRECT AND LUCY LOVES NATSU MAYBE IT'S THE SAME WAY AROUND! IT'S GOTTA BE! NOW PUT YOUR SMART AND SNAZZY BRAIN TO ACTION AND-/_

Well you get the picture. Anyhow, after Mira was done cheering herself on and the girls were done staring at her for like five minutes full of "..." and sweatdrops, she put on her very best smile and made sure her eyes were twinkling with concern.

"I really hope you can catch up to Lucy and solve... whatever it is," Mira nodded as she said the kind words, which were true because it would make her job so much easier if they just found the blonde for her.

"Thanks, Mirajane," Levy's eyes lit up. She couldn't believe the girl with the Matchmaker nickname would be so lenient, but the white-haired beauty was also very kind.

"Yeah, thank you!" Wendy chorused, also bright eyed and more happy.

"Remember, if you need anything, advice, help, someone to talk to, maybe explain a couple of, ah, adult things, just come to me," Mira said brightly. The two naive and innocent girls nodded like little kids that were offered candy for being good and then skipped away in the direction they thought Lucy had gone.

When she was sure they were gone, she returned to the cafeteria.

A pie hit her smack in the face. Rushing to the washroom, she washed her face then returned quickly enough to see Gray and Natsu in a food fight. Alzack was suddenly hit with a kiwi and decided to join in. Unfortunately the moment he threw was also the same moment Erza moved over to eat her strawberry cake more comfortably.

**SPLOTCH!**

Erza held up the plate with tears in her eyes. "N-no... My precious cake...!" Then she turned with evil eyes at Alzack, Natsu and Gray, who stared like men who were sentenced to death (which they pretty much were).

Mira smiled in amusement. Sure enough, Erza was on a rage and quickly beat up the stripper and 'Lovelorn Male', as Mira decided to call him for the meantime. She didn't bother giving Alzack a nickname considering he and Bisca had oh-so-obviously gotten together the past year, going more lovey-dovey than she had originally intended.

When Erza had finally calmed down, and only after putting the three in a semi-conscious state, Mira walked over and offered her another plate of strawberry cake. "There you go, Erza. Is everything alright?"

Erza's eyes teared up. "I've never received such a heartfelt gift from you before. Thank you so much, I will endeavour to repay you in any way I can!" The cake-loving girl bowed in thanks and then took the cake gratefully, savouring it like there was no tomorrow.

Chuckling, Mira leaned over to the other girls; Cana, Lisanna, Laki and Bisca. "So," she began, "I want to hear all about it. Why did Lucy run off? What made Natsu and Gray get into a fight? Why are Wendy and Levy involved? Answers, my lovely girls."

Did I forget to mention? She also has another nickname, and that is Satan Soul. She has the ability to coerce, scare and tempt anyone who is weak enough into doing what she wants, either by instilling fear or treating them to a guilt trip because of her usual kind and beautiful manner.

Bisca blushed and gestured. "It's just a romance thing. Gray mentioned Natsu's rejection... by some girl that he likes, and they started arguing, then fighting."

"Sh' no more 'an the usual teasing," Cana slurred, obviously in the process of getting drunk on green tea. Sake was not allowed during school hours.

"Rejection?" Mira said in a pretend-surprised tone.

"Yeah, none of us knew about it except Gray," Bisca giggled.

There was an awkward silence as a hand went up, a hand belonging to a certain sadistic and purple-haired girl.

"YOU KNEW!?" All four girls screamed at Laki.

She nodded. "It was obvious he likes someone, and he was crestfallen the whole day."

Mira smiled. _/Now you're talking./_

"So, any idea who he likes?"

The purple haired girl paused, then shook her head. "I won't share any theories."

Mira nodded, respecting Laki's idea. "Right. Of course, I have my theories too." She sighed and straightened her body, stretching like a cat. "Alright then girls, it's been fun talking. Need anything," she looked at Laki with a smile, "or if you've come up with more than a theory, don't hesitate and at once contact me. I'd love to chat again."

She walked out, her head spinning with ideas.

_My first step: See whether or not Lucy and Mister Lovelorn really have feelings for each other._

The white haired beauty smiled, taking in the full plot of this crazy crush series.

Mirajane Strauss, at your service.

**-o0o-**

After hanging around for a little while to see if she could catch any more gossip, she promenaded out of the cafeteria lazily, proud of her day's information.

Little did she know that a narrowed pair of greenish blue eyes were following her all the way out the door.

* * *

**A/N so did you like the way I added Mira in there? I'm sure I made her completely OOC and not kind at all, but I wanted to portray her matchmaking side more. If you don't like it please complain, I'll try to change it in the upcoming chapters.**

**Btw review the pairings you'd like, alright? Me being both a GaLe fan and a RoLe fan, Levy will be a busy and much sought after girl. The real problem is with Lucy. I'm planning to do NaLu, for the first few chapters, of course, but I'm thinking StiCy might prevail in the end.**

**Oh, and no question about it, Erza is ending up with Jellal.**

**Love you all,**

**suzukanachronicles**


	3. Princes and Pills

**A/N So have have you all been? I haven't updated for so long! Gomen _"**

**In case you're scared, I'm adding in more WEST later. Or maybe you guys just like Romeo, I got that too. Or are you really wild and think she's kinda cute with Lucy-chan? I dunno. But I'm a WEST fan ;)**

**This chapter's got another romance pairing introduced~ kekeke I love angst. STICY anyone?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FT!**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Princes and Pills**

They had been running around the gardens for three minutes until Wendy tripped over a rock and hit the tree in front of her. "OUCH!"

"Wendy, are you alright!?" Levy raced over to her and observed her forehead, which was pink and slightly swelling. Wendy sat up and rubbed her forehead carefully. "That's gotta hurt," Levy said sympathetically.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Wendy stood up, her legs felt like jelly after all than running. "But anyways, we have to find Lucy."

"You should just sit down. I'll go find her," Levy prompted.

Nodding weakly, Wendy tried to calm her breathing down when suddenly Levy gasped. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"There it is again!" Levy put a finger to her lips and sure enough, there was the voice of Lucy talking quietly to someone else, someone male.

Levy beckoned for her to come look, parting the leaves of a plant to see beyond it.

And what they saw both scared them and shocked them.

**Three and a half minutes earlier...**

Lucy sniffed in her hiding place in the shade of a small tree. /Why was I so dumb? I thought I could at least have a chance with him!/

/But of course, what would he see in me?/ Sobbing harder now, she refused to think about who that lucky girl might be (and why she turned Natsu down). All she knew was that she herself wasn't good enough, not for Natsu anyways.

Suddenly she realized a voice was talking to her.

"Hey, Blondie," the voice said. It was deep and casual, with a tint of amusement.

Lucy recovered enough to wipe away a tear and say, "Don't call me a Blondie." Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized who she was talking to. "What're you doing here?" she asked, not caring that her voice sounded like she had a stuffy nose (because she did).

A dark eyed young man with blond hair jutting in all directions towered over her, a smirk clearly visible on his face. There was a thin, oblique scar above his right eye giving him a cocky look. "At the moment, talking to some crying girl that won't even tell me her name."

"It's your fault for calling me Blondie," Lucy sniffed.

"Aw, come on now, don't get all puffed up," he grinned, bending his knees and resting his arms on his thighs. "What's up, Blondie?"

"Just... don't... call me Blondie!" Lucy snapped at him. For a moment he looked surprised, then the shock passed over his face and he returned it with a cocky grin.

"It's all right, you can tell Sting the Almighty!" He jabbed a thumb at his chest. His muscular, bare chest, covered only by a dark blue vest with a thick fur trimming. Lucy felt the heat rising to her cheeks despite not even knowing him.

"Uhh, errmm, do you mind covering up?" Lucy waved a hand hesitantly at him, squeezing her eyes shut.

Which turned out to be not a very good idea because when she opened one eye tentatively, his face was a LOT closer.

As in the VERY-CLOSE-IT'S-IMPOSSIBLE-TO-BREATH kinda close.

He opened his mouth. "There is a fleck of dust in your eye," he commented tiredly.

"EEEP!" She backed up hurriedly, although when she unexpectedly hit a tree the air was knocked out of her.

He put on a look of confusion. "What...? OH, right." 'Sting' (that's what Lucy supposed his name was) chuckled awkwardly. "Sheesh, Fairy Tail girls are so shy."

Lucy gave him a Death Stare.

"Okay okay I got it! So, really, why were you crying?"

"I was not crying," Lucy lied futilely.

"Haha, very funny. You can tell me what's wrong, or you can cry in vain with no one to talk to," Sting hoped she would choose the first option. One, because he was a nice guy...at heart... yeah... and two, she was kinda cute.

"Fine," the girl complied. "I just found out the guy I liked was rejected by this girl he likes... so obviously I was never up to his standards..." she trailed off, her voice cracking and betraying the tough-girl act she had put on just seconds before.

"I see..." /Shoulda known she was interested in somebody. What else would a high school girl be crying for, other than chipped nails and dead puppies?/ He racked his brain for a good answer and came up with nothing.

Lucy observed him thinking, wondering why on earth he had this strange, desperate look on his face. She liked his smirk better. /What a second WHAT!? I do not like anybody's smirk. Except for Natsu's./ Just thinking his name made her burst into tears again and this time Sting came over. Without an invitation she buried her head into his shoulder, memories of school trips and karaokes and lunches spent with Natsu. /But the whole time he had been interested in someone else.../

Lucy let herself fall asleep with her thoughts, barely aware that she was drifting off in the arms of a mere stranger.

**Present Time**

Levy and Wendy simultaneously gasped as they watched Lucy doze away with her head in some guy's lap and her hair being stroked gently. For a stunning moment they couldn't move, then they pulled their eyes away and looked at each other with confusion.

"Who is that guy?" Wendy asked.

"I don't know, he's not a Fairy Tail student, he's got the wrong uniform," Levy observed.

Wendy took another look and grimaced. "That's not even a uniform at all, that's a - oh, that's scandalous." Her entire face turned red at seeing his abs.

Levy had to laugh at her new friend's reaction. "Question is, what's he doing on FT grounds? And why is Lucy's head in his lap?"

Both bluenettes contemplated the disturbing scene before agreeing to barge in, wake up their blonde friend and tow her back to the school buildings.

But when they turned back to get her, the male student (?) had already carried her away. Seething, the two chased after him and smashed him from behind.

He flipped to the side and caught himself on balance, Lucy still in his arms. "Who the heck are you two!?"

Levy crossed her arms. "I think we have more right to ask you that. Why are you here at Fairy Tail and why is Lucy in your arms?"

**Lucy's POV**

Lucy felt like she was floating in a long bright bubble, memories of the past year floating past her. The first one she recognized was Natsu, taking her hand and inviting her to enroll in Fairy Tail High. Then the first school fight she witnessed, so many people taking part in it and others that welcomed her as she watched. She saw many laughs and smiles on the faces of all her friends, and recognized Natsu feeding on her first attempt at making takoyaki. It hadn't turned out well but the smile he gave her made her feel like that didn't matter.

Suddenly the gravity shifted and she felt a throbbing pain in her nose, as if her sinuses were shouting at her to get her attention.

"-CY, LUCY!" /Who... What?/

"Wake up, Lu-chan!" /Levy?/

Lucy opened her eyes, the daylight burning her pupils because it was so bright. She looked down instead...

...and realized with a shock that Sting was carrying her bridal style.

Her two friends, Levy and Wendy, had their hands on their hips and were presently demanding Sting to "let Lucy go".

"You're a stranger and you shouldn't be on Fairy Tail grounds, much less carrying one of our students," Wendy was saying.

"PUT HER DOWN!" Levy shouted.

"Not a chance," Sting snickered.

"What in the world, Sting, just put me down!" Lucy demanded.

The male looked down with a smug look plastered on his face. "Oh, you're awake now huh? Took you long enough, Blondie."

Lucy rolled her eyes at the nickname. "You can't call me that because you're blond as well. Now drop me."

"If you wish, milady." He spread out his arms and Lucy hit the ground. The blue-haired girls were instantly protesting and then asked repeatedly if she was all right.

"Yeah, thanks, I'm fine," Lucy smiled, then looked up at Sting, "No thanks to you."

"Gladly not received. Phew, gotta run now or my boss'll be in a fit about me. See you around, Blondie." Sting turned and strolled out of the gardens.

Lucy, Levy and Wendy watched as he left. "What a gentleman," Levy remarked drily.

Lucy just nodded.

**-o0o-**

It was deathly quiet when Sting returned to the warehouse. He knew without stepping in that they would be waiting for him and smiled in spite of himself. It would be interesting to see how She would react to his sudden disappearance.

He pushed open the door and stepped in. Sting's eyes adjusted easily to the darkness, with rays of light seeping weakly through two bullet-proof glass trapdoors in the ceiling. The whole room, as well as the rest of the warehouse, was designed in case of an attack, with heat-sensing, top-notch security devices co-managed by the She-Devil and the Minstrel. He smiled, counted:

_Three._

Two.

_ONE!_

An arrow shot at him, aiming straight between his eyes. Sting ducked, dodged bullets triggered with silent blasts, stepped over traps and leaped over a growling mechanical hound, finally landing with two legs past the Trial Zone.

He dusted his pants and straightened.

**WHACK!**

His back slammed into the rear of the mechanical hound, earning him a scratch and a threatening growl.

"Well well, where have YOU been all day?" Minerva swung her titanium bat with ease, thumping it on the ground.

"Around." Sting rubbed his forehead, already feeling the hard bruise and hot seared skin around it where her metal whacker had smashed him. At least he was still in one piece, she could be known to concuss and crack almost every bone in a person's body when she felt like it. Years ago, when Minerva had created the Singe Technology, she had devised a weapon for her alone that was a deathly bat made of the strongest metal, set with diamonds and burning hotter than the sun, earning the title "She-Devil".

Minerva twirled it around and stopped to caress her precious bat. "I'm sure you were more than 'around', Sting. Do you really want me to find out the hard way?"

Sting the Mighty winced under the glare of one of the few people that could make him scared** (Sting: WHAT!? She's unnerving! Not SCARY!)**. A petite girl with short blue-white hair giggled from the shadows. "Don't be scared, Sting-sama."

/Yukino,/ he growled inwardly.

"So," Minerva said before he could reply, "Rufus was taking a lovely stroll around town today, and he came across a giant academy. Want to know what it was, Sting?"

"Tch" was the answer. Minerva seemed unfazed.

"Guess," she prompted.

Sting rolled his eyes. "This is stupid. Look, I have some things to do. I'll just go n-"

"Sting," Minerva repeated in a warning voice.

"Fine, I'll play your stupid game. What did you say it was again?"

Minerva smiled. "An academy."

"An academy, huh? Are you sure? That sounds unlikely. Gee, I dunno. Was it, by any stupid chance, Fairy Tail?"

"Not amusing, Sting." Minerva held up an envelope with four small paintings stuck messily inside. "After Rogue alerted us that you were going on campus without any permission, Rufus chased you and then he painted out EXACTLY what he saw! I'll let you take a look," she plucked four small paintings out and lowered them for Sting. He didn't take them.

"Rufus!" Minerva snapped her fingers.

Sting glanced a moment at the pretentious smiling long-haired blond who was sitting in a corner working on yet another of his paintings. He had a talent for painting out everything he considered 'memorable' using his photographic memory. Rufus looked up innocently, his eyes already in a dream-like state. "Yes, Minerva-sama?"

"Could you please, please please be a dear and describe what your paintings portray?" Minerva asked sweetly. She held up the paintings for him.

"Sting walking into Fairy Tail, Sting meeting a crying dame, Sting caressing said dame, Sting carrying said dame like a princess." Rufus replied without batting an eye.

"I WAS NOT CARESSING HER!" The blond shouted, obviously annoyed. Neither Rufus nor Minerva paid any attention to him.

"Really, Sting-sama, don't be a coward," Yukino smiled, waving around a set of keys that each unlocked her special weapons. "It's all right if you have feelings towards a pretty girl."

"I DO NOT HAVE FEELINGS FOR HER!"

"Shut up and listen to the Master's daughter, Sting." A raven-haired, red-eyed young man emerged from an adjoining room.

"Rogue! What the hell- no, why were you following me?"

"You were two minutes late for our planned ransacking of the Warg Burglars HQ. How could I not look for you?"

"Nah, being tardy isn't that big a deal," Sting drawled. "Ya don't trust me?"

"You can take care of yourself. Furthermore, no Fairies would ever match up to a Sabertooth member. BUT you have this habit of always getting yourself into trouble and ruining everyone who comes along with you. If I let you run off somewhere, Sabertooth's reputation would be in jeopardy. And so would mine." Rogue finalized his definition of 'trust' in Sting.

"Tch."

"So," Minerva waved her hand, trying to get the conversation back to where it had started. "What were you doing with a Fairy carrying her like a princess, huh?"

"I wasn't -" Sting started but then of course it was no use. "Spying out the Fairies' gardens, obviously. I just happened upon some blonde who was crying and she, ahh, presented the perfect opportunity to…get to know the students there." He smirked, remembering that girl's trust in him.

Minerva smiled she flicked out a small painting framed with intricate Ancient Egyptian designs. The people within looked exactly like Sting and 'some blonde'.

"Then I expect you to go back and earn that girl's trust. Penetrate the school and gain all the information you can from her and her friends; Because Sabertooth has just received a request from a very RICH employer, and that guy wants Fairy Tail's weakness portrayed over the whole of Fiore. In short, Fairy Tail must die." Minerva nodded approvingly at each painting, tucking them back into the envelope every time she finished looking at one. "It's convenient you arrived at Fairy Tail and met this crying girl, Sting, because now you get to be the one who leads the infiltration. Yukino, I saw that." Yukino had flashed him a jealous look.

Sting grinned, showing his sharp teeth. "Right-o."

/So now I'm the star player in this wealthy game, huh? Wonder who the unlucky Fairy that has to challenge me is going to be?/

Minerva looked satisfied.

**-o0o-**

"So...Lucy...how do you feel about, you know - that?" Levy ventured to ask. They were sitting in front of the tree that Lucy had slept under (with someone they didn't want to mention) and wasting away for the rest of lunch.

Lucy looked amused. "You know, while I was sleeping" - laying in Sting's arms, actually - "I dreamt Natsu brought me to an amusement park. You were there, both of you, with some other guys… I don't know who they were. As well as others of our friends, yeah…" She smiled at the memory. "And we all had a good time."

The girls waited for her to explain.

"What I mean is, whether I get Natsu or not, he'll still be my friend, right? He's not going to leave anytime soon so… I think I'll just take it slowly and maybe in a year or two, rethink things and see how I feel about him - and how he feels about me." Lucy finished, and there was a contemplative silence.

"That's… that is… a wonderful idea," Wendy beamed.

"No more than what's to expect of my Lu-chan," Levy looked delighted.

Lucy nodded, relieved at her friends' instant approval, then sat back, listening to them chatter. The conversation moved on to other topics, but Lucy only drifted in and out of them, adding an occasional comment when she could.

/I still can't let you go, Natsu. Will you wait for a few years and see what you feel about me?/

**-o0o-**

"Teams, positions, ready!" Doranbolt summed it all up as the two groups of soccer players raced to their spots to begin the game.

"Now…" Doranbolt said, both teams leaning forwards in anticipation.

Their soccer coach's head turned to the left. "OH, LOOK! Max has arrived, alright Max, I will let Max handle this," and he swivelled around, handed the trumpet speaker to a grinning Max and waved backwards as he made his way to the bench.

Both teams groaned and a couple students fell over. Wendy grinned, amused.

It was the beginning of Fifth Period Soccer. Wendy had been contemplating all Lunch: if Lucy could deal with something like heartbreak, why couldn't Wendy deal with something as simple as sports? She was determined to make it fun and show that Brat that she was not all meekness and brains, but she was actually good for something active like Soccer. And now she was again a forward with Erza, waiting eagerly for the game to begin...

...If only Max would let it. He kept talking about the history of the game (which he had most likely searched up during lunch) and after that, described each goal scored in the previous games before lunch (he claimed it would 'get their adrenaline rushing') and finished off with a flourish of a two-page poem about sportsmanship, which in all took about seven long and excruciating minutes in itself.

"MAX! Would you let us start already!?" yelled multiple students.

"Alright, alright, last goal was scored by Loke's team! Romeo and Clarke are his team's forwards! They get the ball, and get ready… TWEET!"

Romeo and his friend Clarke both made moves for the ball, kicking it down the field with barely any need for the support of the rest of their team.

"Aaaand, Loke's forwards are once again making the chase down the field towards their opponents' goal! Kicking it expertly back and forth, knocking it against opposing players' legs - they are pro at this…"

Groaning at their speed, Wendy and Erza both headed after them. The redhead made it farther faster and diverted the ball into Warren's team's possession, angering Clarke. The rest of Loke's midfielders surged down the field, just in time to overpower Erza and some other members of Warren's team. Wendy heard Erza snap, "Kuso!" as the 'reinforcements' dived in.

Pretty soon the whole team was defending Warren's goal, Wendy realized with a shock. It was basically a 100-0 chance of Loke winning, them losing - Wendy couldn't allow it. It would be like giving up and letting Romeo win - AGAIN. She searched for a weak point - any weak point - but Romeo was just too… experienced, she gritted her teeth.

Suddenly Gray burst out of the crowd of players. Before she could react, he was speeding down the field, and - /NO WAY!/ - he was kicking with him a black-and-white blur.

The ball! Wendy smiled widely and raced to defend him, watching in admiration as the tables were turned and her team cooperated, maneuvering the ball down towards Loke's goal.

The game had turned into an offensive match, with both teams showing talent even if the probabilities were not 50-50. Loke's team had the better forwards, better goalie, better players as well - the males did not want to be outdone by a 12 year old boy, the girls wanted to please Loke. But Erza was putting up a good fight along with other members, and -

"Wendy!" Gray had been heading her way, but he was surrounded by members of the opposing team who were quickly closing in a circle around him.

With a determined nod she ran forwards as he passed the ball towards her. She looked around quickly. Many students were heading her way but there was still a spot open, where Erza was standing with an amused look. The girl who was supposed to be guarding her was instead gazing towards Loke with dreamy eyes.

/Thanks, Loke/ Wendy grinned and kicked the ball.

It rolled to a stop five feet away from the redhead and Romeo zoomed towards it, a smirk on his boyish face. "ERZA!" Wendy screamed.

Fortunately the redhead blocked Romeo and gained the ball just in time. Wendy slumped in relief as she passed it over to another teammate who scored. The whistle blew and her team let out a loud cheer! Their first point of the game!

Wendy smiled as she walked back to their side of the field, her team cheering loudly and giving hi-fives all around.

Gray moved over towards Wendy. "You saved my butt out there, thank you."

Wendy blushed. Had it really been that important? "N-no, you did a good job!" she protested, "The thanks should go to you!"

The black-haired youth raised a hand to the back of his head. "Uhh, all the same, then!"

"Un!"

"Alright then. Let's do as well in the next game, ne?" At this Wendy grinned.

"Hai, Gray-kun!" Wendy gazed up at him as he returned the smile. /He's just like an ani./

**-o0o-**

Romeo and Andrew, the one Wendy saw flirting with Talia Finch, watched her receive multiple pats on the head and hugs.

"She didn't even score - it was just a pass," Andrew sniffed. He was the one who had been closest to stealing the ball from Gray, when suddenly the girl had received the ball and followed up with the redhead kicking to another player who scored a goal.

"I'm sure it's just special treatment." Andrew looked at Romeo, surprised.

"Why would she get special treatment?"

"Because she's a little girl," the dark haired boy replied. They watched her being caressed and complimented for a moment more before Romeo heaved a sigh and called out, hands cupped around his mouth, "HEY WARREN! GET YOUR TEAM IN PLACE AND LET'S GET STARTED! Sheesh," he rolled his eyes and lowered his voice so only people nearby could hear him. "They sure are slow."

As a much respected and crushed on male, he was used to games going quickly, with many competitors or teammates who were either dying to show him their skill or beat him at the game. He almost always won, of course, and proud of it. At the pace this game was going, though, it would be years before they even got into a really good game that made him sweat.

**-o0o-**

Wendy walked to the girls changeroom, willing her legs to keep still. She was certain if she fell over or gave any sign of tiredness, Romeo would notice and make some sinister remark on it. But in truth, her legs ached and so did her head.

The rest of the block had flown by, and Wendy was happy when it was finally over. It was more than her small body could handle, although Romeo seemed to be doing fine - he even looked a bit bored.

/It was no secret at our old schools that he was the top athlete,/ Wendy thought as he stole the ball from Alzack. /He's probably more accustomed to more exciting and fast-paced games instead of this one. Even I can catch up as long as I take a break every once in awhile to catch my breath.

That was what she had thought at the beginning.

Soon the blood was rushing to her head and the quick pumping of her heart caused her to feel dizzy and sore, her muscles and heart not used to such exercise. She gripped the doorknob of the changeroom, pausing for one moment to regain her sense of balance. "Urrrrgggh…"

"Wendy-chan, are you alright?" The bluenette looked up as Romeo stepped closer, smiling. Her spine snapped straight, giving no sign of illness or uncomfort.

"Who said we were on a first name basis?" Wendy croaked out.

He looked shy. "Uhh, is there something wrong with that?"

/Nani…./ Wendy stared up at him. Just then a sharp pain erupted in her legs and she bent over, clutching her stomach. /N-not… not in front of the Brat!/

"Here," and to her surprise he was holding out a box of little pills, "It's good for muscle pain."

Giving him a weird look, she reached out one hand and gripped it tightly, sliding down to the grassy ground before popping open the lid. She stuck one in her mouth without reading the directions on the package.

He sat down next to her. "Um, on the English exam… how much did you score?"

Wendy gaped. /Why does he want to know that!?/ Still, there was no harm in answering. "E-eighty-seven percent, I think."

Romeo nodded. "I got eighty-six."

There was an awkward silence as each of them contemplated. Each had just gotten an A (86% and up).

"I guess we're both suckish at English," Romeo said thoughtfully.

"You suck more than I do," Wendy replied stiffly.

Romeo jerked up and yelled back, "That's not true! It was just because of a stupid question! I was going to get it right but I ran out of time!"

For a moment Wendy was stunned, but decided it was best that he showed his angry side than put on a display of...friendship….or something. "I'm still better at English," she responded, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at him. "And you're not supposed to pretend that a BRATTY boy can be smarter than a hard-working girl!"

"So my pills really did work, huh?"

Wendy blinked "What?" Then realization dawned on her. "It's not because of your stupid pills and I was not sick!"

Romeo's face returned to his trademark smirk. "Suit yourself." He got up and stretched, then walked away to change with the other guys.

/...Arrogant juvenile./

**-o0o-**

A small girl bent down in the bushes, not making a single sound. Stealth was her ally. She peered over the blooms of a Japanese azalea plant.

_"The boy is leaving_," her hushed voice breathed, words directed to the stuffed Maltese clutched in her arms. It replied with a silence that only the small girl could understand. Her gloved fingers clenched into fists, and her arms tightened their hug around the dog.

_"He has a smile on his face."_

* * *

**A/N So how was it? Really short? Boring? Interesting? Sting-kun is a queer turn of events. But yes, my darlings, STICY HAS ARRIVED! I kinda got the name of the chapter because Sting was carrying Lucy bridal style, or like a princess, so he's the prince. And Romeo gave Wendy pills... is it a show of concern, or some sort of bratty trick? AND WHO WAS THAT GIRL!? Nah, you'll find out later!**

**I'm sorry for making it so short! I promise I'll update with an extra-long chapter next time!**

**And by the way, school's starting soon. I'm actually kinda excited... :P Tell me what kinda things you want to have this story include? Any suggestions will be fabulous!**

**Until next time, my lovely cherries,**

**~suzukanachronicles**


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